Birthday Buddy Adventures - a McRoll in the REAL World story
by Mari217
Summary: Danny and Angie share their second birthday adventure!


_Sammy & Ilna thank you again for the support during my crazy, frustrating week. Your being there means more than I can say._

_REALMcRollers and Readers we appreciate every word. Love and hugs!_

_**THANK YOU to our delightful reader SHELLEY67 who suggested the T-shirt featured in today's story! xoxo**_

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**Oahu Zoo Snack Bar**

"So…" Danny Williams spoke in a conversational tone and smiled at Angie's rapt attention. "Since you loved the flamingoes so much…" He placed a lidded sippy cup in the shape of a bright pink flamingo on the table with a flourish.

"Oooh 'min-go." Angie grabbed it with both hands and drank a long sip of milk from the built-in straw.

"That's right. A cool cup makes the milk taste better, doesn't it?"

"Milk!" She held it aloft and grinned.

"And some yummy chicken nuggets." He placed them in front of her. "Look, honey, they're shaped like dinosaurs."

"Dine-sor." She held both hands up like claws, exclaiming, "Rawwwr" before picking up a nugget and taking a bite.

Danny said, "Good job." and bit into his hotdog. "After we eat there are more animals waiting to see you." He'd had the zoo layout memorized from the first time he'd brought Grace when she was eight. They'd stopped to see all of Angie's favorites and made a potty stop before lunch. A few yards from the snack area was the Keiki Zoo, where kids could pet some of the animals, so he'd planned that area for last.

Angie happily munched on her food and licked the ketchup she'd dipped her fingers into. "Ameenals see ah dey 'raffes, wions bubek."

"And there're your father's table manners," He teased, grabbing a wipe and cleaning the little hands. "Yes, we saw the giraffes and lions." Danny deftly wiped her face before she had time to protest and she continued to babble happily as he chuckled at her exuberant chatter "Not sure what the bubeks are but whatever you say, sweetheart."

"Ahh de Apa Ama go wim." She tilted her head and nodded.

"You don't say?" Danny gathered the remnants of lunch and tossed them in the recycling and trash. "Let's save your new cup in here." He let her help as he placed it in the stroller bag. "We can leave the stroller because we're going right there." He pointed and held out his hand, which the toddler readily took.

"See mo' ameenals?"

"We're going to pet the animals, how's that sound?" He smiled and pointed to the sign displaying colorful images of the hooved animals in the petting area.

"Yay!" Angie took the lead and tugged her godfather past the zoo employee at the gate while chanting, "See ameenals, see ameenals." in a singsong voice that had him chuckling.

"Gentle, Angie," Danny reminded her as she approached a goat that was a little bigger than smokey.

"Do niiice," she said with a nod and ran a gentle hand over the animal's coarse fur.

"Good job." He was kneeling at her side and patted the goat as well. "Just like that."

"She's very comfortable with animals," observed the junior zookeeper, who's name tag read Kyoko. Angie hadn't flinched at all when a tiny miniature horse sidled up and nickered softly, looking for attention.

"Danno, horsey!" She said and placed her other hand on the horse's flank.

"She's got a hundred and ten pound dog," he explained, never taking his eyes off his goddaughter. "And zero fear genes."

"Hi horsey," Angie was saying. When the goat wandered slowly off, and the horse nuzzled her hand, she giggled.

"That's Mookie," Kyoko explained. "He likes you. You can hug him if your dad says it's okay. She looked at Danny.

"Actually, she's my goddaughter," he said and nodded his head at Angie's expectant look. "Go ahead. Easy though. Nice and gentle, remember?"

When Mookie encouraged the hug by toeing the ground and dropping his head slightly, Angie tiptoed up and hugged him, placing both arms as far around as she could. "Danno, see. Good horsey!" She smiled broadly before breaking the embrace to chatter to the animal like she would Cammie. "Ahh be all ameenals 'min-go."

Half an hour later, the promise of ice cream encouraged the toddler to say 'bye-bye' to her new friends and accompany Danny out of the petting area. Once she was seated in the stroller after a potty and hand washing break, he texted a video of her conversation with the pony to her parents and Grace before pocketing his phone and saying, "Ready, Angie? Do you know what time it is? It's ice cream time!" with enough excitement it had her squealing "ouse keem" with glee as they headed to the car.

* * *

**Wing Ice Cream**

"Would you like a high chair or booster?" The server began before recognizing Danny. "Oh, Detective Williams, Hi!"

"Keisha, hey, hon, how are you?" He smiled at Grace's friend.

"I'm good. I just started here last Tuesday, I was at the other location, but this one's busier in the summer. Hi, cutie." She finger waved at the toddler, who was in Danny's arms. "I bet I know your name. It's Angie, right?"

"Hi!" Angie smiled brightly and waved. "Ouse keem!" She pointed at the images on the decorated wall.

"That's right." Keisha laughed. "Grace talks about her all the time. She's got your same birthday, right?"

"Absolutely. And my birthday buddy," Danny confirmed, "And I are here to have ice cream, right, Angie?"

An enthusiastic nod had her curls bouncing. "Ouse keem!"

"Okay then," the teen chuckled. "Did you need a high chair?"

Angie's "No!" had Danny laughing and Keisha grabbing a booster from the nearby stack for them.

"I guess a booster it is." He kissed the little cheek. "Okay big girl," He said as he placed her into it and slid into the booth beside her. "I don't need a menu, We'll have a chocolate kid's sunday with whipped cream and I want a couple of scoops of chocolate mint in a cup."

Jotting it down, Keisha smiled and left to place the order while Danny leaned down, took a selfie with his niece and texted it to Steve and Catherine with the caption _She's charming everyone as usual. Cath's genes at work._

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"Mama, Daddy!" Angie ran as fast as she could into the house as soon as Danny opened the door.

"Hey, baby girl, you had lots of fun with Uncle Danno, huh?" Catherine lifted her for a kiss. "Mmm you had chocolate ice cream, too."

"Mama, 'mingos, see Mookie, wions, rawr!" She chattered while pushing a curl off her face.

"Is that so? That _definitely_ sounds like lots of fun." She kissed her cheek again before passing her to Steve for a hug.

"So Daddy's big girl had a good day?" Steve began as Angie pulled back to see his face and his eyes caught her clothes. "Danny!" He shook his head as his partner laughed.

"We had ice cream, Steve. She needed a clean shirt."

"We packed two," Steve countered as Angie wriggled to get down and hug Cammie.

"Neither of which are as cool as that one." His partner replied as Angie told the dog about her day in great detail. "Come out to the car and grab the stroller. And I got a couple of things."

"Did you go overboa…" Steve's voice drifted as they exited the front door and Catherine laughed. When they returned with the stroller and bag, Danny handed her a chocolate flamingo wrapped in pink foil, 'for later' and gave a large stuffed version of Mookie the pony and several books from the zoo to Angie.

"Danny, you got her plenty of presen…"

"Ahh ahh, she's two, you're eight years ahead of me" He pointed out.

Catherine sighed and gave him a one armed hug. "Angie, baby girl, come and say thank you again to Uncle Danno." The brown eyes sparkled as he knelt and her daughter ran into a hug.

"Tank oo wuv oo."

"And my heart just melted." He proclaimed, placing a hand on his chest. "Uncle Danno loves you, Angie. So much."

"At least the pony's not real," Steve muttered but couldn't hide his grin.

"This time," his best friend shot back with a grin of his own.

Catherine sat on the floor next to her daughter who was already opening a book to read to Cammie as she placed the huge stuffed pony's head on her lap.

"Now about that shirt…" Steve began.

Catherine laughed.

A happy, contented laugh because as much as things got better every day, that's how much the teasing stayed the same.

Her two year old grinned up at her godfather and daddy and tugged on her new t-shirt to announce, "Bovi!" before returning her attention to the book and turning a page.

The tiny black t-shirt obviously ordered just for her, sported an outline of her uncle's home state and an image of none other than Jon Bon Jovi.

# _**End - thanks for reading**_

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